Email forwarders automatically send incoming messages from one email address to one or more other email addresses. This is useful for redirecting email, managing multiple addresses, or ensuring important messages reach a backup inbox.
Steps
1. Log in to cPanel
- Visit your hosting provider's cPanel login page and sign in with your username and password.
2. Navigate to Forwarders
- From the cPanel Home, locate the Email section.
- Click on Forwarders (or Email Forwarding).
3. Add a New Forwarder
- Click the Add Forwarder button.
4. Choose the Source Address
- Forwarding address: Select or type the email address that will receive messages you want to forward.
- You can forward from an existing email account (like sales@yourdomain.com) or create a dedicated "catch-all" or alias.
- Domain: Confirm your domain is selected.
5. Enter the Destination Address
- Forward to: Enter the email address where you want messages to be sent.
- You can enter multiple destinations (your provider will show how—usually by entering one address per line or using commas).
6. Create the Forwarder
- Click the Add Forwarder button.
- You should see a confirmation message. The forwarder is now active.
Examples
- Team inbox: Forward
info@yourdomain.comto multiple team members' personal emails so everyone sees new inquiries. - Backup address: Forward your main business email to a personal Gmail account for redundancy.
- Department routing: Forward
support@yourdomain.comandbilling@yourdomain.comto the appropriate staff members.
Tips & Notes
- Forwards are instant: When an email arrives at the source address, it is forwarded immediately. The original address can still receive mail if you also set up a local email account.
- Keep backup locally: If you forward to an external address, also keep a local email account to retain a copy of messages on your server.
- External forwarding delays: Forwarding to external email providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) usually takes a few seconds; delays may occur during server load.
- Bounce-back loops: Never forward an address to itself, or set up a circular chain (A→B, B→A), as it can cause mail delivery failures.
- Catch-all forwarder: Some cPanel setups allow a "catch-all" forwarder that accepts mail for any username@yourdomain.com and forwards it to a single address (useful for domains without many individual accounts).
Managing Forwarders
- View all forwarders: The forwarders list shows all active forwards. You can click on any entry to see its destination.
- Edit a forwarder: To change the destination, delete the old one and create a new forwarder with the same source address.
- Delete a forwarder: Click the Delete button next to the forwarder you no longer need.
Troubleshooting
- Emails not forwarding? Check that the destination email address is spelled correctly and that spam filters are not blocking the forwarded messages.
- Duplicate emails? If you are seeing the same message twice, you may have both a local account and a forwarder active on the same address. Remove the forwarder if you only want local delivery.